Warehouse club tries self-serve kiosks

According to The Orange County Register, Costco began testing self-ordering kiosks in a couple Southern California food courts about two weeks ago.

The Tustin and Pacoima locations feature the new touch-screen systems that allow customers to avoid long lines and quickly place their food order. Early reports suggest your food is delivered to you in just two to three minutes once your order is placed.

An unnamed Costco employee interviewed by the newspaper said the Tustin kiosk has been “a great success” with wait times cut “substantially.”

Payment on the kiosks is by credit card or debit card only — no cash accepted — and you get a receipt that you take to the window to pick up your order.

No word yet if the warehouse club plans a larger rollout of this technology to its other locations.

Costco’s move echoes others similar pushes made by McDonald’s and Wendy’s over the last couple years. Both restaurant chains have installed self-ordering kiosks to their stores in an effort to lower labor costs.